The One Thing We Need To Understand From The Book of Revelation

If you find the Book of Revelation difficult to understand, then at this point just lay hold of this truth from its words.

There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever. - Revelation 22:3-5

The Bible story after creation begins with the curse being put upon the earth because of the first sin of Adam and Eve. This is why life is such a struggle. This why sickness and death exist. This is the root of every single problem on this earth and no matter how much man tries to defeat sickness, addictions, abuse and every other ailment that drags us down, he will not.

But the good news is that if we live by faith in Jesus and what He suffered on the cross, then there is a day coming soon in which that curse will be gone.

This is what we need to receive out of Revelation. We don't need to speculate on and argue over what symbolic mysteries it presents. We need to lay hold of the promises the Word of God gives us and live in joyful expectation of the return of Jesus when all this comes to fruition.

There will no longer be any curse. There will no longer be any night. Darkness will be gone. We will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and we will reign forever and ever.

That is what we most need to understand from the Book of Revelation.

The Call to Walk in Truth

Without love, we are nothing but noisy gongs. (See 1 Corinthians 13:1)

And the Bible is clear, love is the answer. Anyone who calls themselves a Christian but doesn't love others, is living a lie. The call to love in scripture is a call to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, our neighbors, and even our enemies. Read your Bible. Love is the number one trait that must identify who we are.

But unless we speak truth, we really are not showing love.

The Apostle John has much to say to us about truth.

2 John 1:4
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.

3 John 1:3-4
For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Truth is so important, that God sent us the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth, to dwell within us.

But the world is filled with untruth, with lies. Some are clearly lies. Some are harder to distinguish. The world will tell you that there are gray areas and those things we can address with compromise to the truth. That is not from God, it is from the devil.

John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Christians, we must speak truth. We must stand in truth. God's word is the only legitimate source of truth. The Spirit of truth indwells every true believer. Jesus is the truth.

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

Truth is under attack, in these weird and difficult days, that has become even more clear.

What should we do?

Walk in truth.

How Can I Know I am Saved?

My morning study time finds me in a place that is deeply convicting. And that is the purpose of John's words here. I know I am not always walking in the same manner as Jesus walked. I know I'm not truly abiding in Him, for I simply fail far too often to keep His commandments.

No, we are not saved by our works. But we should never take for granted our salvation. We should never stop studying His Word, looking at our lives and seeing how we line up with the way Jesus walked. We must fall on our knees in humility, praying that the Holy Spirit will bring deep conviction to our hearts so that we can persevere through our disobedience, and let the mercy and grace of God fall upon us and be the catalyst that drives us to obedience.

1 John 2:3-6

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

When I look at myself in light of this passage, I wonder, how might I ever be saved? I am reminded of what Jesus said about salvation. (By the way, if you are reading this now, you are a rich person, compared to so many)

Matthew 19:23-25

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

But then Jesus reminds us of how this works.

Matthew 19:26

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

So, I humbly lean into God and place every little bit of faith I can muster up into believing that Christ died for me.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Thank You Jesus. I have no boast but in Him.

7 Things We Have in Christ

As I begin my next study in God's Word, being in 2 Peter now, we come upon some wonderful things we have in Christ.

2 Peter 1:2-4

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

7 things we have in Christ

1. Grace and Peace

2. Knowledge of God and of Jesus

3. Divine Power

4. Everything we need pertaining to life and godliness

5. All the Promises of God

6. Partakers of the divine nature

7. Escape from the corruption of this world

This is amazing and it ought to change how we live. We already have everything we need. We have the power to live it out.

We simply need to lay hold of these things. We simply need to remove the word self and replace it with Him.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Live it.

Authority - How Do We Deal With It

I love the Word of God. I look forward every morning to my time in Bible study. I try and make it the first priority of the day, for if God has chosen to bless me with another day, the least I can do is spend time with Him and make Him first in my heart. And I am committed to reading the Bible from beginning to end, in a complete cycle that goes on over and over.

But as much as I love God’s Word, I struggle to obey it. I agree it’s right. I believe it’s true. I believe I am supposed to obey it. But every now and then I come across things in it, that I really wish weren’t there.

I am rebellious by nature. I don’t like to be told what to do. It’s not that I mind God telling me what to do. I trust in Him being true and righteous. But when it comes to man? Not so much. I struggle with authority. I don’t trust politicians. I don’t trust police officers and the court system of America. My supervisors at work were often poor leaders who made really dumb decisions so I didn’t trust them. But today’s Bible reading smacks me down. Hard.

Take a look.

1 Peter 2:13-17  

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.  For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.  Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.  Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

This is God’s Word. It is to be obeyed.

God’s command here is simple. I am to be subject to every human institution. Doesn’t matter at what level. There is no “Yes, but he’s stupid” clause. There is no, “Yes, but I don’t like that” clause. There is no “Yes, but he is a tyrant” clause.

The command is to “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution.” And God made sure we understood the importance of this command as He repeats it three times in scripture. Romans 13 and Titus 3:1 echo this command.

And then we see in scripture, examples of how men obeyed this command, even at great peril to their lives. Stephan is an example of a life that followed this path. Read Acts 6 through to Acts 8:1. Rather than dispute the authorities that came after him, he used their attack as an opportunity to share the Gospel with those who were against him. This would culminate in his death by stoning. Yet, through it all, he stayed the course. He went to his death calling out to God for mercy and forgiveness to come to those who killed him.

Jesus did the same.

As Christians, this life is not meant to be lived for our comfort and our desires to be met. It is to be lived for Christ.

I don’t like what my government is telling me to do. But I need to humble myself before God and simply be obedient. Unless the authorities are directly telling me to not do what God tells me to do, I must obey. For God’s sake, not my own. Even if this leads up to my death, inflicted by an evil regime.

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

God’s words, not mine.

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.  Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Joy In the Suffering

In the midst of these difficult days, the question of suffering is ever present in many of our minds. Each of us is enduring through this time of trial, some are even dealing with severe illness and death. The Bible actually does answer the question of why suffering exists. This morning I am continuing to study 1 Peter and in this scripture reading, is both an explanation and a command regarding our troubles.

1 Peter 1:6-9

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Wow, there is so much here.

First, it says we are to rejoice even though we are grieved by various trials. But it says “In this” we rejoice. In what? Go back to the beginning of 1 Peter and we see that “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven.”

We should rejoice because God has saved us and given us eternal life.

Peter then tells us that if necessary, God is grieving us by various trials. We don’t all experience the exact same trials and grief, but we can trust in our God, who knows what we need to test the genuineness of our faith. Our faith, because it is results “in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” is more valuable than gold. Why? Gold, like everything else in the life, will perish. But not our salvation; it is eternal and will never pass away.

But we must admit, we have a tendency to lose sight of the eternal life to come. We get too focused on this life. Our money, our comfort, our plans and dreams, and even our loved ones, become what we focus on. Peter reminds us that we don’t see Jesus in person, like we do everything else in this life. But true faith, results in loving Jesus even when we don’t see Him. True faith gains its joy in the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls.

This is what Jesus is talking about when he said this in Luke 14:26,

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

Jesus isn’t telling us to hate our family, that would contradict everything God calls on us to do in loving others. He is telling us that the focus and center of our entire being, must be upon Him. Then then the overflow of our love will pour out on those around us and they will be cloaked in our love.

In order for us to have joy, which supersedes happiness that is dependent on circumstance, our faith must be proven to be genuine. And in the most difficult of trials, our faith, if real, will result in rejoicing, because real faith has its hope in the eternal life, not this one.

So, take heart, brothers and sisters in Christ. God does not waste anything. This trial you are facing, no matter how painful, will prove the genuineness of your faith. And the result of that is “praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” which is more valuable than gold.

If in this trial, you don’t have this joy, then you need to humble yourself before God and seek His face. Open up your Bible and find the promises He has to offer. Go to Him in prayer and cry out to Him.

Psalm 34:18  

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

He wants to bring joy to your heart.

Living As Aliens

This morning I have moved on to a new book of the Bible to study, 1 Peter. Peter begins with a salutation.

1 Peter 1:1-2  

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen  according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

There is so much beauty in the doctrines mentioned in this salutation. We see that we are chosen, we are sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit, we are called to a life of obedience to the Lordship of Jesus, and we are sprinkled by His blood. Because of all these doctrines, we experience His grace and have peace, in the fullest measure. We could spend weeks just exploring the theology of all this. In the commentary I am using in this study, there are countless scriptures to look up, to meditate in, and to grow in.

But this morning, as we find ourselves in uncertain times, I am called to bring to bring attention to a different doctrine of scripture, if you will. If you notice, Peter begins this letter by addressing it to “those who reside as aliens.” Obviously, in its strictest context, Peter was writing to people who had scattered into five different regions. But the Bible was not just written to the specific people it names, but it is also written to all who would call on the name of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 10:11 tells us that “these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” We know that “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17

If we are men (or women) of God, then the Bible speaks to us as well.

So, in the beginning of this letter, we find a lesson that we all need to lay hold of. We are aliens in this life. We are not meant to live as if this is where we belong. For those who are chosen by God unto salvation, our home is not this earth. This life is not meant to be clung to. It is meant to be lived as strangers in a strange world, who are, like soldiers in an army, simply on a mission for our King, in a foreign land.

Look at a few other scripture readings that confirm this.

Philippians 3:20

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 


Hebrews 11:13-16  

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.  For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.  And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.  But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 13:14

For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. 


Hebrews 11:10  

For he [Abraham] was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

What God needs you to hear this morning, is that we can be at peace in the midst of the chaos going on around us. Along with the other difficulties of this life, we are right now living in a world where death may strike us at any moment. This virus is invisible. We cannot see it. It is difficult to fight something you cannot see. That is why camouflage is a standard issue uniform of a soldier. We have no idea when or where we might encounter this invisible enemy and we have no idea how it might inflict its effects upon is.

But what God desires we do, is to live in joyful expectation of the very worst extreme attack the invisible enemy can inflict upon us. Death. That is the worst thing that our enemies can bring upon us. But the fact for the Christian is that death is not defeat; it is victory.

Again, what does the Word of God say?

2 Timothy 1:10  

But now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Death is victory to the Christian. It is the culmination of our wanderings as aliens here. Physical death to the chosen people of God is only the beginning. We must live as soldiers in a strange land, fulfilling the mission are called to and doing so, not in fear of our death, but in eager anticipation of it. For in it is the victory, because of Jesus. Because of the power of resurrection.

As I close, I want to encourage each of us on the hope of what is to come.

Revelation 21:2-4

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."

We can and must live in the peace of God. Even in the presence of invisible enemies.